Mark Thompson: 'played no role' in the axing of a film on Jimmy Savile while running the BBC, the New York Times chairman has said. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters

The proprietor of the New York Times has reassured staff unsettled by the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal that Mark Thompson, the former BBC director general and incoming chief executive, "possesses high ethical standards and is the ideal person to lead our company".

Arthur Sulzberger Jr, chairman and New York Times Company, said in an internal email on Thursday that he was satisfied Thompson "played no role" in the cancellation of BBC current affairs show Newsnight's investigation into the Savile sex abuse allegations in late 2011, when he was still director general. Thompson is due to begin his new job on 12 November.

Thompson's knowledge of the Newsnight story and allegations about Savile has come under intense scrutiny since Margaret Sullivan, the New York Times public editor, published a blog on Tuesday saying it was "worth considering now if he is the right person for the job" in light of the scandal enveloping the BBC. Sullivan also called for the paper to "aggressively cover" Thompson's role in the BBC scandal.

"Mark has provided a detailed account of [Newsnight's Savile story], and I am satisfied that he played no role in the cancellation of the segment," Sulzberger told staff.

He said that he and the other New York Times Company directors had got to know Thompson very well in the months leading up to his appointment. "Our opinion was then and remains now that he possesses high ethical standards and is the ideal person to lead our company as we focus on growing our businesses through digital and global expansion," Sulzberger added.

"As you all instinctively know, but it is worth stating again, we will cover the Savile story with objectivity and rigour. Mark endorses that completely as do I.

"Both of us believe passionately in strong, objective journalism that operates without fear or favour, no matter what it is covering. We have dedicated a significant amount of resources to this story and this is evident by the coverage we have provided our readers."

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